Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A67769
|
The seduced soul reduced and rescued from the subtilty and slavery of Satan ... by R. Junius ...
|
Younge, Richard.
|
1660
(1660)
|
Wing Y181; ESTC R34120
|
11,402
|
12
|
THE SEDUCED SOVL reduced and rescued from the Subtilty and Slavery of Satan that bloody devouring Dragon and vowed Enemy of all Mankind Together with Provision that none may be disappointed of their end by mistaking their way would men but now hearken unto Christ as they would have Christ another day hearken unto them By R. Junius in reference to Levit. 19. 17. Isa. 58. 1. Prov. 1. 20. to the end and 14. 12. Acts 11. 14. 1 Tim. 4. 16. James 1. 21. Jude 23. CYprian brings in Satan triumphing over Christ in this manner As for my followers saith he I never laid down my life to redeem them as Christ hath done for his I never promised them so great reward as Christ hath done to his and yet I have more followers then Christ and they do far more for me then his do for him And indeed To whom we yield our selves as servants to obey his servants we are to whom we obey whether of sinne unto death or of obedience unto righteousnesse Rom 6. 16. And in case we do the Devils works we are the Devils servants as our Saviour affirms John 8. 34 44. Again it is the abstract of Religion to imitate him whom we worship Neither are we worthy to be called Christians except we imitate Christ and square our lives according to the rules he hath given us Luke 14. 26. 2 Pet. 2. 19. 2 Cor. 5. 17. 2 Tim. 2. 19. Who then shall compare mens lives with Christs life or those rules set down in his Gospel but must be forced with Lynacre to confesse That either the Gospel is none of Christs or very few amongst us are Christians Observe it I pray for it falls heavy on many thousands that think they are Christians beyond all exceptions 2 But to bring this point more close and home to mens consciences We read That the greatest number go the broad way to destruction and but a few the narrow way that leadeth unto life Matth. 7. 13 14. That the whole world lieth in wickednesse 1 John 5. 19. That the number of those whom Satan shall deceive is as the sand of the sea Rev. 20. 8. That many are called and but few chosen Matth. 20. 16. 22. 14. That though the number of the children of Israel are as the sand of the sea yet onely a remnant of them shall be saved Rom. 9. 27. Sad predictions How then does it concern every man of us to be-think our selves whether we be of that small number and to mistrust the worst as all wise and sound-hearted Christians use to do Matth. 26. 21 22. And indeed they are Texts of Scripture that would make the most in these dayes to tremble Yea they could not without Gods great mercy but be swallowed up of their own confusion were they not spiritually blinde and deaf and dead For experience shews that amongst those that call themselves Christians scarce one of an hundred whose knowledge belief and life is answerable either to the Gospel their Christian profession or the millions of mercies they have received Yea notwithstanding the Holy Ghost tels us in the word and we hear the same daily That every man shall be judged according to his works be they good or evill Rev. 20. 13. 22. 12. That we shall give an account at the day of judgement for every idle word we speak Matth. 12. 36. That there needs no other cause of our last and heaviest doom then Ye have not given ye have not visited c. Matth. 25. 41. to 46. That the righteteous shall scarcely be saved 1 Pet. 4. 18. That many shall seek to enter in at the straight gate and shall not be able Luke 13. 24. That no unrighteous person shall inherit the kingdome of God but shall have their part and portion in that lake which burneth with fire and brimstone which is the second death 1 Cor. 6. 9 10. Gal. 5. 21. Revel. 21. 8. That except our righteousnesse exceeds the righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisees who were no mean men for outward and formal performances we shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven Math. 5. 20. And that without holinesse no man shall see the Lord Heb. 12. 14. which Scriptures if they be true what manner of persons ought we to be in all holy conversation and godlinesse as the Apostle speaks 2 Pet. 3. 11. Yet most men live as if the Gospel were quite contrary to the rule of the Law As if God were neither to be feared nor carâ—d for As if they were neither beholding to him nor afraid of him both out of his debt and danger Yea as if there were no God to judge nor Hell to punish nor Heaven to reward I cannot think of it without astonishment But to all these let me add one thunder-bolt more out of Gods Artillery which you shall finde Deut. 29. where he expresly tels us that he will not be merciful I pray mark it unto such as flatter themselves in an evill way but that his wrath and jealousie shall smoak against them and every curse that is writ in his Book shall light upon them c. vers. 19 20. And that if we will not regard nor hearken unto him when he cals upon us for repentance He will not heare nor regard us when in our distresse and anguish we shall call upon him for mercy but even laugh at our destruction and mock when our fear cometh Prov. 1. 24. to 33. Neither is salvation more promised to the godly in any part of the Bible Old Testament or New then eternal death and destruction is threatned to the wicked For though to all repentant sinners he is a most merciful God yet to all wilful and impenitent sinners he is a consuming fire and a jealous God Heb. 12. 29. Deut. 4. 24. These are dreadful threats from the mouth of an Almighty and terrible God who is Truth it self and cannot lie Neverthelesse mens obdurate and adamantine hearts brawned and hardned with the custome of sinne will tremble and relent no more at the hearing of them then the seates they sit on or the stones they tread on Their supine stupidity is no more capable of excitation then the Sea Rocks are of motion or the billows of compassion They are like the Catadupans inhabitants of the Cataracts who hear not the roarings of Nilus As Drums and Trumpets we know and that loud rupture of the aire with Ordnance is but like soft musick to the eares of some fleshed souldiers hardned with often successe And the reason is they will rather hearken to their own deceitful hearts and believe Satan that would gull them of their soules and plunge them into eternall torments then they will hearken to or believe the God of Truth And the reason of this reason is when men reject all gâ—od meanes and refuse to serve the true God he in justice gives them over to the false to be taught and governed by him for which you have
veins to see what multitudes there are that go blindfold to destruction and no man offer to stop or check them before they arrive there from whence there is no redemption I remember St. Bernard useth these words Had we stood by saith hee when Adam was between the perswasion of his wife and the precept of his God when the one said Adam eate and the other said Adam eate not for if thou dost Thou shalt die the death and all thy posterity Had it been an ill office to have cryed out and said ô Adam take heed what thou dost Or would he have had cause to complain of being prevented I trow not Yea I think it had been a seasonable piece of high friendship and none can deny it I remember also what a Merchant once did he comes to his friend upon the Exchange and fals to boxing him with these words I have often enough told you of your whoring but you will never leave it Know you not that it will pâ—ove your ruine in the end 〈…〉 hâ—ld to be a little crackt in brain perhaps you will think 〈…〉 often times from the rarest and quickest agitations of 〈…〉 the most distempered and out-ragious frenzies there wantâ—â—g 〈…〉 a pegs turne to passe from the one to the other So in mad mens 〈…〉 see how fitly folly suiteth and meets with the strongest operation 〈…〉 Yea who knows not how un-perceivable the neighbour-hood is between folly and the liveliest elevations of some mens wits And indeed when I consider how our carnal friends will curse us when they come in hell that we did not our utmost endeavour to stop them I could afford to lay hands upon a Drunkard a Blasphemer or a Murtherer to stay 〈◊〉 from the evill he is going to commit Yea to kneel down upon my knees and beg of him that he would not so desperately damn his own soul And indeed could a man save his friends soule by so doing as possibly he might Jude 23. Jam. 5. 26. 1 Tim. 4. 16. he needed not much to care though the world reputed him a mad man or spent their verdicts on him O my brethren think of it before it be too late and seriously consider what one soule is worth and what you would take to be in that condition with them as you were once For I speak to enlightened souls Yea how should not the very thought of it make all that are got out of Satans clutches to plot study and contrive all they can to draw others of their brethren after them We read that Andrew was no sooner converted and 〈…〉 Christs Disciple but instantly he drew others after him to the same faith John 1. 41. and the like of Philip vers. 45. And of the woman of Samaria John 4. 28. to 41. And of Peter Luke 22. 32. Acts 2. 41. and 3 Chap. 4. 4. And so of all the Apostles Yea Moses so thirsted after the salvation of Israel that rather then he would be saved without them he desired the Lord to blot him out of the book of life Exod. 32. 32. And Paul to this purpose saith I could wish my self to be separated from Christ for my brethren that are my kinsmen according to the flesh meaning the Jewes Rom. 9. 3. And indeed all heavenly hearts are charitable Neither are we of the Communion of Saints if we desire not the blessednesse of others it being an inseparable adjunct or relative to grace for none but a Cain will say Am I my brothers keeper Yea where the heart is thankful and inflamed with the love of God and our neighbour this will be the principal aime As by â—y siâ—s and bad example I have drawn others from God so now I will 〈…〉 I can draw others with my selfe to God Saul converted will build up as fast as ever he plucked downe and preach as zealously as ever â—e persecuted and we are no what thankful for our own salvation if we do not look with charity and pity upon the grosse mis-opinions and mis-prisions of others and at least do something for the saving of those poor ignorant impotent wretches that are neither able nor willing to help themselves Neither needs there as one would think any spurring or prompting of the thankful or charitable to this duty And what though we cannot do what we would yet we must labour to do what we can to win others not to deserve by it but to expresse our thanks Besides it were very dishonourable to Christ not to do so did you ever know that wicked men Thieves Drunkards Adulterers Persecutors false prophets or the like would be damned alone no they mis-lead all they can as desiring to have com-panions Yea the Tharisees would take great pains compasse sea and land to make others twofold more the children of hell then themselves as our Saviour expresly witnesseth Matth. 23. 15. which may cast a brush upon our cheeks who are nothing so industrious to win souls to God Therefore what a worldling would do to get himselfe an hundred pounds that a Christian should do to win a soule to Christ Or he is unthankful to his Redeemer that hath done and suffered so much for him But I have known a very small matter with Gods blessing upon the meanes as the lending of a Book to an acquaintance or towling him to hear an efficacious Sermon prove the saving of his soul And that hath been a greater cause of rejoycing to both parties then others have when their corn and their wine increaseth Psalm 4. 7. Weak means shall serve the turne where God intenâ—s successe Even a word seasonably spoken God blessing it like a Rudder sometimes steers a man quite into another Course Antioclâ—us by hearing from a poor man all the faults which he and his Favourites had committed carried himself most vertuously ever after Antoninus amended his future life and manners by onely hearing what the people spake of him The very crowing of a Cock occasioned Peters repentance Augustine that famous Doctor was converted by onely reading that Text Rom. 13. 13. Let us walke honestly as in the day-time c. Learned Junius with reading the first Chapter of Saint Johns Gospel was wonne to the faith of Christ And Melancthon much aâ—ter the same manner I have read of two famous Strumpets that were suddenly converted by this onely Argument That God seeth all things even in the dark when the doors are shut and the curtains drawn Bilneys Confession converted Latimer yea Adâ—iâ—nus was not onely converted but became a Martyr too by onely hearing a Martyr at the Stake alleadg that Text Eye hath not seen nor eare heard c. 1 Cor. 2 9. Yea even those Iewes that crucified the Son of God were converted by hearing those few words of Peter Acts 2. And it pleased God when I my self was in as hopelesse a condition as any That a poor mans perswading me to leave reading of Poetry and fall upon the Bible was a meanes